Tesla appoints Indian-origin Vaibhav Taneja as CFO: Five things to know about him

Indian-origin Vaibhav Taneja has been named the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Tesla. He has succeeded Zachary Kirkhorn, who stepped down from the post on August 4 after working for the electric vehicle and solar panel maker for 13 years.

Here are five things you need to know about Tesla’s new CFO:

1. A certified public accountant, Taneja, 45, obtained a Bachelors of Commerce (B.Com) undergraduate degree from Delhi University, India, in 1999. Taneja then completed his chartered accountancy from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), according to his LinkedIn profile.

2. Taneja was serving as Tesla’s Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) since March 2019. He has now taken charge as the CFO of the Elon Musk-led company in addition to his current duties. According to his LinkedIn profile, Taneja joined Tesla as Assistant Corporate Controller in February 2017 and was elevated to the post of Corporate Controller in May the following year.

3. Before joining Tesla, Taneja had a stint at SolarCity Corporation where he served in various finance and accounting roles. He worked as Vice President, Accounting Operations and Vice President, Corporate Controller at the solar panel maker that was acquired by Tesla in 2016.

4. Taneja has worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a company which offers assurance, tax, and advisory services, for more than 16 years in India and the US. He served as the company’s Assistant Manager in New Delhi, the capital of India, and as Senior Manager in San Jose, California, US.

5. In 2021, Tesla registered its Indian arm, Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited, in Bengaluru city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, reported news agency Reuters. Taneja was among the three people appointed by the company as directors, according to The Economic Times.

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